This invention relates generally to outdoor power machines and more particularly to a system and method for proximity-based control of outdoor power machines.
Outdoor tasks, such as grooming and maintaining property, are commonly performed using various outdoor power machines that are configured for the performance of corresponding specific tasks. As used herein an “outdoor power machine” is defined generally as any machine having a prime mover driving a component, implement, or attachment which is operable for material removal and/or material handling. Non-limiting examples of outdoor power machines include lawn mowers, snow blowers, chain saws, blowers, and hand-held trimmers. Outdoor power machines, such as riding lawn mowers, walk behind lawn mowers, string trimmers, hedge trimmers, and the like are used to maintain a yard while outdoor power machines such as snow blowers are used to maintain driveways, sidewalks, and the like during the winter months when snow accumulates thereon.
The convenience and versatility of outdoor power machines makes them very popular among consumers; however, the use of outdoor power machines can come with dangers due to user neglect or improper use. Outdoor power machines come in many varieties and therefore can employ different operational parameters which can cause inexperienced users to use the outdoor power machine improperly. Even outdoor power machines of the same type, i.e., riding lawn mowers, can operate differently from one to the next.
Additionally, users of outdoor power machines, especially those who have performed the same task with the outdoor power machine repeatedly, can often become unaware of their surroundings. For example, a user using a riding lawn mower to mow his/her lawn may not realize that a dog is chasing the lawn mower around the yard or that a child has come into the yard to play. The user may be focused on mowing around a landscape bed and forget about the play set in the middle of the yard or a corner of a building that is sticking out awkwardly into a confined area of the yard. A user listening to music may not hear an individual walking into the yard trying to get the user's attention, and a first time operator may lose control and run into a tree.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a system and method to provide proximity-based control for outdoor power machines that is capable of monitoring objects in the yard and shutting down the outdoor power machine prior to coming in contact with the object.